First of all - we love Wix! It’s generally super easy to use and offers a ton of customization options if you’re willing to go into the code.
However, we have not found a way to be able to fully comply with GDPR requirements.
According to a recent judgement in German court, companies are not allowed to embed Google Webfonts in their websites since the IP addresses of users are automatically transferred to Google without prior consent.
Since Wix is referencing to Google Webfonts in the CSS master, which Wix editors can’t change, we can’t find a way to comply with European law. Does anyone have ideas how to solve this problem or how to get actual prior consent before loading the CSS? I am guessing this could be a huge problem for all European Wix customers?
Yes, I’m also talking about the clients site. An now - I have not yet received a response from the Wix team. Wix support directed me to privacy@wix.com but they have so far ignored my request.
I have just inquired and indeed it is quite crazy what Google recovers as data without the consent of the user.
Clearly there are not several solutions:
Use system default fonts Finally, the easiest solution you can fall back to is to just use the default system fonts. These fonts are already stored locally in your CMS servers, so your visitors will no longer have to log in with Google.
Admittedly, the obvious downside is the lack of creative freedom with fonts and limited choices.
Can you use Google Fonts and be GDPR compliant? Yes, you can use Google Fonts and be GDPR compliant. The only time Google Fonts violates GDPR terms is when visitors have to send Google their IP address to request Google Fonts files.
If you can sternly force your visitor to expose their IP address to Google, you can continue to use Google Fonts on your website. To break the connection between Google and your visitor, you can either host Google Fonts locally on your own website or revert to using the default system fonts.
I think if Wix isn’t responding they need to work on it. Imagine that a decision like this has serious consequences for a full SAAS publisher who manages 300 million members.
So I hope that between Google Analytics and now the storage of Google Font fonts the legal team must have some work to do !
Maybe the Privacy Team ( @karenc ) of Wix will respond ASAP… or @eduardog maybe will help ?
Thank you @stevenjose I am really struggling to keep European customers with Wix because of the new laws. It would be great to get a little insight from the team how to address them all, not just the use of Google fonts.
Hi everyone, soon, an updated resource with answers to all GDPR related questions will be available. In the meantime, here’s the teams response to the aforementioned questions.
Does my Wix website include fonts owned by Google (Google Fonts)?
Wix allows you to adjust your website to include only the fonts you want and believe complies with your local law.
For a full list of all the fonts available in Wix and their source (i.e. Adobe fonts, Google fonts, system fonts, etc.) click here: Fonts Available in Wix
Can I Use Google Analytics on my website?
Yes. However, we advise you to consult with a local attorney to advise you whether the use of Google Analytics on your website is compliant with your local laws.
The decision whether or not to use Google Analytics on your website is yours. If you choose to use Google Analytics, we encourage you to check the privacy settings on the Google Analytics dashboard and apply the relevant settings according to your jurisdiction’s laws and regulations.
Two additional and important notes:
Please note that if you wish to use the IP anonymization functionality, you can do it on the Wix dashboard ( learn more ).
Please note that the Google Analytics integration is applied to your whole website. If you have reason to believe that you should not use Google Analytics on a specific page on your website, please refrain from using Google Analytics for your whole website.
Hello @stevenjose
The simple answer is “yes” Wix is GDPR compliant if you are not using Google Fonts (purpose of this post)
The link with the list of fonts is very interesting, thx a lot !
Could we consider the possibility in the editor of:
classify fonts by categories? (system, Google, etc…)
migrate all Google fonts in a website to another ? (for those who are required to respect the GDPR, that is to say half of the planet in fact…), but maybe it is possible yet with the theme.
For the dummies like me: That means manually uploading a Google Font does not break the connection to Google either?
In that case, the system fonts should be fine, as mentioned above.
What about the fonts from Monotype (which is also one of the font sources), does anyone here know how it is with GDPR?
